2000
#24,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 962
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Modzelewski
A surname originating from Polish roots, referring to an association with the Modzel family or place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,065 Americans carry the last name Modzelewski. That puts it at #27,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 321,835 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Modzelewski surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 321,835
Census rank
#27,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
929
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 929 bearers of the surname Modzelewski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Modzelewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Modzelewski
The surname Modzelewski originates from Poland and can be traced back to the early 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "modrzew," meaning "larch tree." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a grove of larch trees or worked with this type of wood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Modzelewski name appears in a 1534 document from the town of Płock, which mentions a landowner named Jan Modzelewski. This indicates that the surname was already established in Poland by the mid-16th century.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Modzelewski family gained prominence in the Polish nobility. Notable members included Andrzej Modzelewski (1630-1703), a military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish wars, and Katarzyna Modzelewska (1697-1778), a philanthropist known for her support of educational institutions.
In the 19th century, the Modzelewski name spread beyond Poland as many families emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One influential figure was Karol Modzelewski (1805-1876), a Polish historian and educator who authored several works on Polish history and culture.
Another notable individual with the Modzelewski surname was Zygmunt Modzelewski (1900-1954), a Polish engineer and inventor who developed early methods for synthetic rubber production. His innovations played a crucial role in the Allied war effort during World War II.
In more recent history, Karol Modzelewski (1937-2019) was a prominent Polish historian and political activist who played a significant role in the Solidarity movement and the transition to democracy in Poland in the 1980s.
While the Modzelewski surname has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other countries through migration and cultural exchange. However, the earliest recorded instances and historical references point to its Polish origins and connection to the larch tree.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Modzelewski
Among Census respondents with the surname Modzelewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Modzelewski bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Modzelewski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 886
- Two or more races2.2% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 3
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Modzelewski
Modzelewski appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#24,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,046
+84 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 311 places
2020
#27,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 929
-117 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 3,405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,386 | 962 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,075 | 1,046 | 0.35 | +84 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 311 places |
| 2020 | #27,480 | 929 | 0.31 | -117 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 3,405 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Modzelewski surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #24,075 | #27,480 | -14.1% |
| Count | 1,046 | 929 | -11.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.35 | 0.31 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Modzelewski bearers went from 1,046 to 929 (-11.2% change). The surname moved down 3,405 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,075 to #27,480.
FAQ
Modzelewski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Modzelewski?
Name Census estimates that about 1,065 living Americans carry the surname Modzelewski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 321,835 residents.
How common is Modzelewski?
Modzelewski ranks #27,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 929 people with the surname Modzelewski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,065), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Modzelewski.
Has Modzelewski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Modzelewski went from 1,046 recorded bearers to 929. That is a decrease of 117 (-11.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,075 to #27,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Modzelewski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Modzelewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (2.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Modzelewski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (886 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Modzelewski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Two or More Races (2.2%), Hispanic (2.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Modzelewski (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Modzelewski mean?
A surname originating from Polish roots, referring to an association with the Modzel family or place. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Modzelewski (0.31 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Modzelewski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.